Outlook 2009
Jan 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Mike Kennedy (mkennedy@asumag.com)
What's ahead for education facilities and business in the new year and beyond.
Sustainability
With the transition to a more environmentally friendly president and administration in 2009, the momentum for sustainable design and construction of school facilities is likely to continue.
Many states and local districts have enacted design and construction guidelines that require environmentally friendly and energy-efficient systems and operations. Organizations such as the U.S. Green Building Council, which administers the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program, and the Collaborative for High-Performance Schools (CHPS), which also has a green building rating system, have made great strides in bringing the terms green building, high-performance schools and sustainable design into the mainstream of the education community.
As of December, the green building council had a list of more than 1,000 school construction projects that had registered their intent to seek LEED certification. Many of those green schools will be completed in 2009, and more are sure to be added to the list.
Congress provided another impetus for green school construction in 2008, when the House passed the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. The Senate did not take action on the bill, and President Bush threatened to veto the measure, but if lawmakers take up the legislation again, it is expected to win a more favorable response from an Obama White House.
In addition to calling for an infusion of federal money for school construction — $6.4 billion in the first year and more than $20 billion over five years — the bill outlined specific requirements for incorporating green design and construction into the federally subsidized projects.
In the first year of funding, school systems would have to spend at least 50 percent of the money they receive on green facility projects. The requirement would increase by 10 percent each year; by the fifth year, schools would be required to spend 90 percent of the money from the bill on green projects.
The bill defined green projects as ones that "are certified, verified, or consistent with any applicable provisions" of established green and high-performance programs, such as LEED, CHPS, the federal government's Energy Star program, or equivalent programs adopted by states or local entities.
On the university level, the green movement also is flourishing. More and more campuses are adding sustainability directors to their staffs to show their commitment to improving conservation and environmental awareness.
More than 600 presidents of U.S. higher-education institutions have signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment that calls for administrators to take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make their campuses carbon-neutral.
Kennedy, staff writer, can be reached at mkennedy@asumag.com.
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